Carrick aiming for treble

Tuesday 13 January 2009 00:02 BST

Michael Carrick believes Manchester United could regard themselves as "something special" if they manage to complete a Premier League hat-trick this season.

Although Sir Alex Ferguson's men are on FA Cup duty this weekend and face a fifth-round trip to Derby on Sunday, at the back of their minds is the knowledge that on Wednesday they entertain Fulham, when a win would send them five points clear of their only remaining realistic challengers Liverpool.

From there it would take a remarkable turnaround to deprive United of a third successive title for only the second time in their history and Carrick said: "You have got something special if you win three in a row. It would be an amazing achievement and would show what a good team we have been over a consistent period."

He added: "We have done a little bit of the work but there is an awful long way to go yet.

"This league has already shown there are some unexpected results to be thrown up.